Video Entertainment Is the Main Consumer Draw for Vision Pro

Note: This article is based on Variety Intelligence Platform’s special report “Vision Pro & Entertainment,” available only to subscribers.

A majority of U.S. consumers aren’t immediately likely to buy a Vision Pro, Apple’s mixed reality headset released in early February. But for those few who do want the device — as well as among general consumers — video entertainment is their biggest interest.

Vision Pro won’t be the next iPhone in sales anytime soon, with just 3% of U.S. consumers surveyed extremely interested in buying Apple’s new MR headset as of February and 8% somewhat interested, according to an VIP+ original survey conducted with CivicScience. Further, these figures haven’t changed since the polling was initially conducted in June 2023.

But for those who say they would be interested in buying the device, entertainment and immersive content experiences on Vision Pro are the strongest draw over the headset’s other capabilities.

While Vision Pro will have games, it isn’t designed to be a gaming-first device. Gaming is still the most popular activity on VR headsets among U.S. adults who already own a VR headset: 72% use their device for gaming, with other uses trailing behind, including fitness (22%) and socializing in virtual spaces (15%), per VIP+/SmithGeiger data featured in the report.

But VIP+ findings further suggest that other forms of entertainment on Vision Pro could supersede interest in gaming among general audiences.

Overall, watching video content is the strongest area of interest — not gaming — with 34% of U.S. adults citing interest in watching movies or TV shows in an immersive virtual screening environment or appearing to be projected on a screen in 3D virtual space (29%), according to the VIP+/SmithGeiger Group survey.

Since the Vision Pro launched in February, despite the relevant concerns about device comfort, positive reactions among early adopters, consumer tech reviewers and analysts have been effusive. In particular, they’ve been enthralled with the device’s video entertainment experiences.

Analysts have honed in on media consumption and entertainment applications as the initial go-to use case and main selling points. “The Vision Pro is clearly constructed to become a content powerhouse,” wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Erik W. Woodring.

More new buyers entering the market for the first time could mean demand for more diverse experiences than games created for headsets. It remains to be seen what adopters prioritize for its use and how the developer community shapes demand for new kinds of experiences built for the device.

While it’s still early days, the arrival of Vision Pro signals the era of mixed reality entertainment is here. For Hollywood and other creative industries, the moment has come to pay attention to what Vision Pro could mean for the next wave of content innovation.

Dig deeper with the data-fueled VIP+ subscriber report …